Current winter wheat crop conditions better than 2011

Winter wheat crop conditions in the Central and Southern Plains are better this year than last year at this time. In the Central Plains, Nebraska’s winter wheat crop at the end of January 2012 rated 65 percent good to excellent and only 3 percent poor to very poor. A year ago at this time, 41 percent of the crop was rated good to excellent and 15 percent poor to very poor. In Kansas, 49 percent of the State’s winter wheat crop rated good to excellent and 12 percent poor to very poor.

Last year at this time, 27 percent of the Kansas crop was rated good to excellent and 37 percent poor to very poor. In the Southern Plains, Oklahoma’s winter wheat crop at the end of January 2012 rated 54 percent good to excellent and 9 percent poor to very poor. A year ago at this time, 21 percent of the crop was rated good to excellent and 40 percent poor to very poor. In Texas, 26 percent of the State’s winter wheat crop rated good to excellent and 38 percent poor to very poor. Last year at this time, 17 percent of the Texas crop was rated good to excellent and 52 percent poor to very poor.

In the SRW States that report monthly conditions, wheat is in substantially better shape than a year ago at this time. In Illinois, 75 percent of the winter wheat crop was in good to excellent condition as of the end of January with only 3 percent reported as poor to very poor.

Last January, 45 percent of the crop was good to excellent and 19 percent poor to very poor. In North Carolina, 84 percent of this year’s winter wheat was reported as good to excellent and 1 percent as poor to very poor. Last year at the same time, 53 percent of the North Carolina crop was good to excellent and 9 percent poor to very poor.